Former Residence of Zhang Xueliang on Gaolan Road

　　The residence of Zhang Xueliang is situated at No. 1 Gaolan Road. It is a three-story independent Spanish-style garden villa. The building was erected in the mid-1930s and is adjacent to Fuxing Park to the east.

　　Spanish-style architecture is characterized by bright exterior colors, gently sloping roofs, and doors or windows often adorned with Spanish spiral columns, along with relatively large garden areas. Zhang Xueliang’s former residence, once known as “Zhang Mansion,” features a red-tiled roof and a milky-white exterior wall, with compact and delicate white eave decorations. The structure varies in height, size, and depth, creating a layered effect that also incorporates elements of traditional Chinese architectural charm. The main building of Zhang Mansion has a hallway on the ground floor, a corridor to the south, and a balcony on the second floor. The main building covers an area of about 800 square meters, with a grand hall downstairs that was used to entertain guests at the time. The reception room is on the second floor. The bedroom of Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi is on the third floor—a Spanish-style suite furnished with a large Spanish-style bed, which is now replicated as per the original design. There is a 20-square-meter terrace outside the room. In front of the building lies a large garden spanning approximately 1,000 square meters, named “Diyuan.” The garden is planted with camphor trees, cedars, wisteria, magnolia, osmanthus (both golden and silver), and other trees. The lawn is of the Manila type, and there is also a swing that can accommodate several people. At the time, Gaolan Road was a short street lined with plane trees on the sidewalk, their branches forming a dense canopy, making it a very tranquil residence. However, Zhang Xueliang lived here for only a brief period. In 1994, the residence was listed as a protected site among Shanghai’s Outstanding Modern Architectural Heritage.

　　The renowned patriotic general Zhang Xueliang, courtesy name Hànqīng and art name Yǐ’ān, was the eldest son of the Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin. He was born on June 3, 1901, in Tai’an County, Liaoning Province, during the 27th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty. Following the assassination of Zhang Zuolin by Japanese Kwantung Army officers in June 1928, Zhang Xueliang assumed the role of commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Security Forces in July, earning the title “Young Marshal.” He succeeded his father as the supreme ruler of the three northeastern provinces. In December of the same year, despite opposition from Japan and pro-Japanese factions, he resolutely declared the Northeast’s allegiance to the Nationalist government by hoisting the Nationalist flag, thereby pledging obedience to the Nanjing-based government. He was subsequently appointed commander of the Northeast Border Defense Forces, and his troops became commonly known as the Northeast Army. In October 1930, Zhang Xueliang was named deputy commander for the “Communist Suppression” campaign in the northwest, leading 300,000 Nationalist troops in repeated but failed efforts to encircle and suppress the Red Army in the northwest—especially with heavy losses suffered by the Northeast Army. These experiences led Zhang Xueliang to reconsider Chiang Kai-shek’s policy of “pacifying the internal before resisting the external,” and he began to believe that an alliance with the Communists to resist Japan was the only way forward. In April 1936, Zhang met with Zhou Enlai, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, in Yan’an, where the two sides reached an agreement to unite against Japan. On December 4, Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xi’an with dozens of high-ranking Nationalist military and political officials to oversee the “Communist Suppression” campaign. Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, commander of the 17th Route Army and director of the Xi’an Pacification Commission, repeatedly urged Chiang to cease the civil war and unite against Japan. Not only were their pleas ignored, but Chiang also ordered them to attack the Red Army in northern Shaanxi. On December 12, Zhang and Yang resolutely launched the Xi’an Incident, detaining Chiang Kai-shek and broadcasting a message nationwide that put forth eight political demands, urging Chiang to ally with the Communists against Japan. They also sent a telegram to the CCP Central Committee. On December 17, the CCP Central Committee dispatched Zhou Enlai and others to Xi’an, where they negotiated with Zhang and Yang and agreed to resolve the Xi’an Incident peacefully. This led to six agreements with Chiang, including the cessation of anti-Communist campaigns and the reorganization of the Nationalist government, laying the foundation for the second United Front between the Nationalists and Communists and national resistance against Japan. On December 25, Zhang Xueliang personally escorted Chiang back to Nanjing, where he was detained and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a military tribunal on December 31. He was granted a special pardon four days later but placed under “strict military custody.” From then on, Zhang Xueliang was imprisoned in various locations across Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, and Taiwan. Although he was announced to be released from custody by the Taiwan authorities in 1959, he remained under surveillance. In March 1991, Zhang was permitted to visit relatives in the United States. In April 1995, he settled in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he lived until his passing on October 15, 2001, at the age of 101.

　　After the September 18th Incident, Zhang Xueliang became a prominent but tragic figure. After 1933, he visited Shanghai multiple times and had three residences here. The first was in March 1933 when he declared his resignation to the nation and prepared to go abroad for inspection. He then came to Shanghai from Beiping (now Beijing), and Song Ziwen arranged for him to stay at No. 181 Fuxing Road (now Yan’an Middle Road). Upon arriving in Shanghai, Zhang decided to overcome his drug addiction. One day, he gathered his family and subordinates by his bedside and said with deep emotion: “For the sake of repaying the nation’s suffering and avenging our family, to recover lost territories, save our fellow countrymen, and for my own future, I have made up my mind—no matter what—it is worth risking my life to rid myself of this drug addiction here. During this process, I have just one request.” Then, Zhang took out the pistol he had placed beside his bed. “No matter how much pain I’m in, no one is to give me another injection. If anyone does, I will shoot them.” With the help of relatives, friends, and doctors, and after over 20 days of agony, Zhang finally overcame his addiction, regained his vitality, and restored his health. The second time was on January 8, 1934, when Zhang returned from Italy to Shanghai and initially stayed temporarily at a villa at No. 2 Rue Mouillot (now Xiangshan Road). Chiang Kai-shek decided to reinstate Zhang and return him to power, appointing him deputy commander for the suppression of bandits in the three provinces of Henan, Hubei, and Anhui, with orders to attack the Red Army in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area. His adjutant commander Tan Hai found a garden villa at No. 1 Gaona’i Road (now Gaolan Road) and rented it. Zhao Yidi (also known as Miss Zhao Si) also came down from Beiping to accompany him. Soon after, Zhang was appointed director of the Wuchang Garrison Command and left Shanghai. But Miss Zhao often stayed here for short periods, so this residence also became known as the “Zhao Yidi Residence.”

　　In 1935, Zhang Xueliang went to Xi’an. From October to late December, he traveled from Xi’an to Nanjing to attend the Sixth Plenary Session of the Kuomintang’s Fourth Central Executive Committee and the Fifth National Congress. In mid-December, he came to Shanghai for the third time and stayed at the garden villa at No. 1 Gaona’i Road. During his time in Shanghai, he visited Du Chongyuan, a famous patriotic figure and fellow northeasterner. Du had been sentenced for publishing the article “Idle Talk About Emperors” in the magazine New Life, which was accused of damaging “international relations.” Nationwide progressive individuals protested, forcing the Nationalist authorities to allow him to receive medical treatment outside prison. Zhang discussed the perilous situation in China with Du and asked how to save the nation. Du clearly told him that the policy of “pacifying the internal before resisting the external” must change in order to unite the people against Japan. Zhang also visited Li Du, a commander of the Northeast Volunteer Army who was about to go abroad. Li Du advised him to negotiate with CCP representatives and introduced him to CCP liaison Liu Ding.

　　Zhang Xueliang also hosted a banquet at No. 1 Gaolan Road for various friends and former subordinates to discuss strategies for saving the nation. Though he stayed in Shanghai for only a few days, he initiated contact with the Chinese Communist Party and actively sought ways to resist Japan and save the country. According to the book by American scholar Florence Ayscough, in 1936, during Zhang’s fourth visit to Shanghai, arrangements made through Liu Ding led to a secret meeting with CCP leader Pan Hannian at a restaurant in the suburbs of Shanghai. Subsequently, in early March, Zhang met with CCP representative Li Kenong in Luochuan, and on April 9, he met with Vice Chairman Zhou Enlai. It can be said that Zhang Xueliang’s time in Shanghai was of particular importance in shaping his thoughts and actions for the rest of his life.

　　After the liberation, the building served as the office of the Democratic Construction Association of the Shanghai Luwan District Federation of Industry and Commerce. It underwent major renovations in 1992 and 1994 and was preserved. Later, it was converted into a guesthouse for the Shanghai Municipal Real Estate Administration Bureau, with several rooms named Jingxue Hall, Muliang Hall, Yiqing Hall, and Shaoshuai Hall. The walls inside these halls featured photos of Zhang Xueliang and Zhao Yidi, as well as calligraphy by Zhang Xueliang—some of the only known samples of his handwriting. In the early 21st century, the building was repurposed as the official residence of the Dutch Consul General in Shanghai.

　　

　　Zhang Xueliang (1901~2001)　　Zhang Xueliang (June 3, 1901 – October 14, 2001), courtesy name Hànqīng, art name Yǐ’ān, childhood names Shuāngxǐ and Xiǎoliùzi. He was a first-class general of the Army, of Han ethnicity, originally from Haicheng, Liaoning. Born on June 3, 1901 (the 17th day of the 4th lunar month), in Zhangjiabao Village, Ejia Township, Tai’an County, Liaoning Province (formerly known as Sangzilin Zhanjiawopu). Known as the “Young Marshal,” he was the eldest son of Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin and one of the “Four Handsome Men of the Republic of China.” He is also the namesake of TV dramas and other media. Participated in battles: Zhongdong Railway Incident, Central Plains War, September 18th Incident, Rehe Campaign, First and Second Zhili-Fengtian Wars Young Marshal Zhang Xueliang The Northeast... Details+